MCP — Model Context Protocol

MCP is an open standard for connecting AI agents to external tools and data sources. OpenAgent ships with a curated MCP store: pick a server, install with one click, restart, done.

Open the store

/mcp

You’ll see the catalog. Press Enter on a server to view details, prompt for any required env vars, and install.

Curated servers

ID	Category	What it adds
filesystem	Files	Read, write, search files in a sandboxed directory
git	VCS	Inspect history, diffs, and branches of a local git repo
github	VCS	Search code, issues, PRs across GitHub via API (needs GITHUB_PAT)
postgres	Data	Read-only Postgres queries (needs connection string)
sqlite	Data	Query a local SQLite database file
puppeteer	Browser	Browse and screenshot live websites with a headless browser
fetch	Browser	Fetch arbitrary URLs and convert to markdown
brave-search	Search	Web and local search via Brave (needs BRAVE_API_KEY)
slack	Comms	Read and post in Slack workspaces (needs bot token)
memory	Memory	Persistent knowledge graph the agent reads and writes across sessions

How it works

When you install a server, OpenAgent writes its config to ~/.openagent/mcp_servers.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
      "env": { "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "ghp_..." }
    }
  }
}

On the next OpenAgent launch, it spawns each configured server, fetches its tool list, and exposes those tools to the agent under mcp_<server>_<tool>.

Adding a custom server

You have two options.

Option 1 — through the UI (recommended)

Run /mcp and pick Custom. You’ll be walked through four steps:

1. ID — short name for the server (e.g. my-postgres).
2. Command — the executable: npx, uvx, node, python3, or an absolute path.
3. Arguments — space-separated args, e.g. -y @scope/server-name /path/to/data.
4. Environment — KEY=VALUE pairs, comma-separated. Empty = none.

OpenAgent writes the entry to ~/.openagent/mcp_servers.json and prompts you to restart to load it.

Option 2 — edit the config file directly

~/.openagent/mcp_servers.json

That’s the single source of truth. Format follows the MCP standard:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "my-server": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/server.js"],
      "env": { "MY_ENV": "value" }
    }
  }
}

After editing, restart OpenAgent. Run /mcp → Installed to confirm it’s loaded (● next to the name = live).

Where everything lives

File	Purpose
~/.openagent/mcp_servers.json	All MCP server configs (catalog installs + your customs)
/mcp → Store	Browse and install curated servers
/mcp → Installed	See connection status, remove servers
/mcp → Custom	Add a server not in the catalog
/mcp-status	One-line summary of which servers are live

Submitting an MCP to the OpenAgent catalog

Built an MCP server you think should be in the curated catalog? Open a PR.

1. Fork ask-sol/openagent.
2. Add an entry to src/mcp/catalog.ts with the same shape as the existing ones (id, name, description, category, command, args, optional env vars and notes).
3. Update this docs page with your server in the table above.
4. Open a PR titled mcp: add <your-server-name>.

Maintainers review for: working command, sensible defaults, clear env var descriptions, and that the underlying server is actually published (npm / pypi / GitHub). Anything weird, unmaintained, or proprietary-paywalled gets bounced.

Removing a server

Open the store with /mcp, select the server (it’ll have a ✓ next to it), and choose Remove from config.

Roadmap

• Server health and per-tool toggles directly from the store
• Auto-update server packages
• Verified-publisher catalog (signed manifests)